This article draws on a recently completed ethnographic study to present an argument for a renewed commitment to social justice in, and through, public schooling. Such a commitment needs to incorporate whole-school responses to the classed nature of society and inequalities arising from the political economy, but must also be attentive to the claims to recognition of groups excluded or marginalised through various forms of cultural oppression. Although acknowledging the importance of locally conceived responses to educational disadvantage, the article warns against the dangers of ‘romantic localism’ (Troyna & Vincent, 1995) and highlights the need for collective action across the public education system and the broader community.
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